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  Catalysts, Molecular Structure | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 1: The Strange Chemistry Behind Why You Get Sick on Planes Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)

  The compound ozone, a known respiratory irritant, exists in high concentrations at flight altitudes, making the “fresh air” sucked in by air conditioners at those heights, well, not so fresh. In fact ozone exposure may be responsible for many of the short-term discomforts we associate with air travel. What’s more, ozone can react with other compounds in the air -- even the oils of our skin -- to produce other toxic compounds, like aldehydes and ketones. Some planes have catalytic converters, like the ones in cars, which use transition metals to turn ozone into breathable oxygen. But not every plane has one!

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  Electromagnetic Spectrum, Molecular Structure, Chemical Bond, Molecular Structure | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 2: What Birds Know About Color that You Don't Mark as Favorite (8 Favorites)

  We’ve been using pigments and dyes for thousands of years, but they’re not the whole story when it comes to making color. “Structural” color occurs when tiny nanostructures interact with light waves, amplifying certain colors and canceling others. From brilliant bird feathers to butterfly wings, mole hairs to octopus skin, structural color is everywhere in the natural world. Researchers have tried for years to harness this incredible natural phenomenon in a useful way. Because these colors are so small and complex, and therefore hard to copy, their efforts have met with little success. But novel research using a computer model based in repeated random sampling — a so-called “Monte Carlo” model — is showing promise. Using this approach, scientists have been able to mimic the gorgeous blue of the mountain bluebird in a thin film of reflective beads, leapfrogging millennia of evolution.

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  Polymers, Molecular Structure, Molecular Structure , Polymers, Solubility | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 4: How Science Is Fixing Recycling's Grossest Problem Mark as Favorite (4 Favorites)

  Polypropylene recycling has a problem: It stinks. Food and other residues are almost impossible to remove entirely from polypropylene, a.k.a the number “5” plastic of grocery-store fame. Those residues – anything from yogurt to garlic, from fish oil to baby food – not only stick to polypropylene, they degrade there and start to smell even worse! Current polypropylene recycling techniques are more down-cycling than re-cycling. Unless you break down its molecules through a highly energy-intensive refining process, the material can only get a second life as a black trash can or an underground pipe – wherever its smell doesn’t matter. But a new technique, called dissolution recycling, is changing all that. Dissolution recycling uses a special hydrocarbon polymer solvent under finely controlled conditions of temperature and pressure to eliminate ALL of the contaminants embedded in the plastic.

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  Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Molecular Structure , Combustion | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 5: Making Shipping Greener with Hairy Ships Mark as Favorite (6 Favorites)

  The “fouling” of boats — when aquatic animals like barnacles and tubeworms attach to hulls — has been a nuisance for as long as we’ve been sailing the seas. Fouling messes up a vessel’s streamlined shape, decreasing its speed, maneuverability, and in modern times, its fuel-efficiency. Fouling spikes the carbon footprint of the shipping industry, already greater than that of most countries. For centuries, people used copper coatings to prevent fouling. Modern solutions use toxic chemical paints that pollute the water, kill marine life, and contribute to the degradation of our oceans when they wear off. A new approach is trying to work with nature instead of against it. Taking inspiration from the Salvinia plant, which is covered in tiny hair-like structures that make it basically waterproof, scientists are developing a stick-on silicone coating for ships that prevents animal hitchhikers from getting a foothold.

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  Molecular Structure, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Polymers, Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Polymers | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 6: Kill More Germs by Cleaning … Less? Mark as Favorite (2 Favorites)

  There’s clean, and then there’s CLEAN. Even if something looks clean, it might still be harboring microbes – many of them harmless, some of them definitely not. With most of the ways that we clean and disinfect — that is, kill germs — the clean doesn’t last as long as you might think. Disinfectants work by attacking bacterial membranes and viral protein coats, breaking them down so that those germs fall apart and die. But the germaphobes were always right: As soon as a disinfectant dries, and a surface is re-exposed, like if someone touches or (worse) sneezes on it, it needs be disinfected all over again. The next generation of cleaning products, however, add a trick: they lay down an incredibly thin polymer layer that keeps the germ-killing ingredients in place and effective for 24 hours at a time.

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  Heat, Physical Properties, Physical Change, Molecular Structure, Monomer, Polymers | High School

  Video: Ingenious Video 7: The World has a Receipt Problem Mark as Favorite (3 Favorites)

  The receipts you take home from the store – or stuff in your bag, or lose in your car -- employ a printing method that’s been around since the 1970s. Thermal printing involves heat-sensitive inks called leuco dyes that show up when they react with an acid developer embedded in the paper. Not only do these inks fade easily, but receipts that use them aren’t recyclable, and could even be dangerous to your health. Taking a cue from a failed experiment, scientists are developing a new kind of receipt paper that will use the same thermal printers without leuco dyes. Instead of acid developers, this paper is coated in reflective microspheres that collapse under heat, allowing regular ink underneath to show through.

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  Mixtures, Solute & Solvent, Intermolecular Forces, Intermolecular Forces, Molecular Formula, Molecular Structure, Polymers, Electromagnetic Spectrum | Middle School, High School

  Video: What is Paint? Video Mark as Favorite (9 Favorites)

  This video investigates the composition of paint, while analyzing the fundamental chemistry principles of its main components. Students will learn about the differences between three common paint types, water colors, oil-based and acrylic paint as well as the chemistry of each.

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  Lewis Structures, VSEPR Theory, Covalent Bonding, Molecular Geometry, Molecular Structure, Atomic Radius, Electrons, Valence Electrons, Identifying an Unknown, Periodic Table | High School

  Activity: Guess That Molecule! Exploring Lewis Structures and VSEPR Geometry Mark as Favorite (1 Favorite)

  In this activity, students will use clues to identify atoms in a given molecular model, then draw its corresponding Lewis structure. Students will analyze both models to determine model limitations and ultimately discover the VSEPR theory.

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  Covalent Bonding, Lewis Structures, VSEPR Theory | High School

  Activity: Exploring Molecular Shape Using Computational Chemistry Mark as Favorite (6 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will use free online computational modeling software, with guided inquiry parameters, to learn how atomic properties of atoms in a molecule affect the shape and stability of the molecule.

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  Alloys, Metallic Bonding, Atomic Radius, Atomic Structure | High School

  Activity: Paper Plate Alloys Mark as Favorite (10 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will create particle models of substitutional and interstitial alloys, then engage in discussion to analyze and evaluate the models created by their peers.

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  Molecular Structure , Functional Groups, Isomers, Observations, Molecular Structure, Isomers | High School

  Activity: Spices and Structures Mark as Favorite (28 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will taste and make notes about the flavors of 6 common spices used to flavor food and then compare the flavors and molecular structures of the spices.

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  Ionic Bonding, Lewis Structures, Naming Compounds | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Ionic Bonding Puzzle Mark as Favorite (181 Favorites)

  In this activity, students match puzzle pieces to create neutral ionic compounds. Once they have made a neutral ionic compound they can use electron dot diagrams to show the formation of the compounds. Finally they will name the ionic compounds.

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  Physical Properties, Molecular Structure, Polarity | High School, Middle School

  Activity: What Makes Water So Special? Mark as Favorite (74 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will become familiar with the special properties of water by completing several activities that investigate the following physical properties/phenomena: cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, and capillary action.

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  Elements, Periodic Table, Polyatomic Ions, Covalent Bonding, Ionic Bonding, Molecular Formula | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Game Activity: Guess What: Compounds Mark as Favorite (18 Favorites)

  In this game, students will use their knowledge of the different types of elements and the compounds they can form to guess the computer opponent’s secret compound before the computer can identify their compound. Students will take turns with the computer asking and answering yes or no questions about their secret compounds, selected from a pool of 20 compounds, to try to narrow down the pool to identify the computer’s compound first. This activity encourages students to reflect on different ways matter can be classified.

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  Ionic Bonding, Polyatomic Ions | High School

  Activity: Game Activity: Ion Dice Mark as Favorite (15 Favorites)

  In this game, students will test their knowledge of how ions combine to form ionic compounds. Students will score points by rolling the 12 ion dice and combining ions to create various ionic compounds. As the players create compounds, they are left with fewer dice and must decide whether to stop and bank their points or to press their luck, risking a “bust” and losing all their points for the round. This accompanying activity encourages students to further practice the skills used in the game, as well as to take the next step of writing names and formulas for ionic compounds.

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  Physical Properties, Covalent Bonding, Electronegativity, Polarity, Molecular Geometry, Intermolecular Forces, Solubility | Middle School, High School

  Activity: The Chemistry of Water Video Questions Mark as Favorite (68 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will watch a video and answer questions about how the molecular geometry and polarity of water give rise to many of its unusual physical properties, including its relatively high boiling point and its ability to dissolve some substances but not others.

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  Naming Compounds, Molecular Formula, Ionic Bonding, Covalent Bonding | High School

  Activity: Chemical Names and Formulas Practice Mark as Favorite (71 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will practice naming and writing formulas for ionic compounds, covalent compounds, and acids. The flowchart provided reminds students of different naming conventions and how to tell when to use various naming rules. Students are also asked to make connections with language studies regarding prefixes and suffixes and to reflect on the importance of consistent naming rules for clear communication.

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  Ionic Bonding, Naming Compounds, Intramolecular Forces, Ions, Electrostatic Forces, Polyatomic Ions | High School

  Activity: Constructing Ionic Compounds Mark as Favorite (129 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will use cards of different size and color as models for different types of ions. They will use the cards to construct ionic compounds by balancing the charges on cations and anions. Students will be able to write formulas and names for ionic compounds.

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  Precipitate, Solubility, Solubility Rules, Ionic Bonding, Naming Compounds | High School

  Activity: Game Activity: Precipitation Reactions Game Mark as Favorite (23 Favorites)

  In this game, students will explore the concepts of solubility and precipitation reactions. The game contains three difficulty levels – introductory, standard, and mastery – in which students will have to fulfill specific victory conditions for a series of scenarios. Victory conditions include selecting compounds to form a particular precipitate, using the proper ratio of reactants, and correctly identifying what precipitate will form from a collection of ions using a solubility chart. Bonus questions include naming compounds and identifying spectator ions.

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  Ionic Bonding, Naming Compounds | High School

  Activity: Game Activity: Matchmaker Ionic Bonding Mark as Favorite (38 Favorites)

  In this game, students will test their ionic bonding knowledge by forming ionic compounds from a variety of ions. During the game students will be provided with a name of the ionic compound and two ions (one cation and one anion). The goal of the game is to form an ionic compound that matches the name using the provided ions. Students score points by combining the ions in the correct ratio, based on the charges, and by selecting the matching chemical formula.

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  Intermolecular Forces, Intermolecular Forces, Polarity, Molecular Motion, Molecular Motion, Physical Properties | High School

  Activity: Simulation Activity: Comparing Attractive Forces Mark as Favorite (140 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will use a simulation to investigate different types of intermolecular forces (London dispersion, induced dipole, and hydrogen bonding). In the analysis that follows the activity, they will relate IMFs (also including dipole-dipole) to physical properties (boiling point, solubility, and vapor pressure). This activity and simulation are appropriate for students in any level chemistry course.

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  VSEPR Theory, Molecular Structure, Molecular Geometry | High School

  Activity: VSEPR Modeling Mark as Favorite (88 Favorites)

  In this activity, students construct physical models of molecular shapes. However, students are not told what the preferred arrangements of electron pair domains are. Instead, they derive the arrangements. Students are given the opportunity to conceptualize what is happening when one electron pair domain acts upon another, and to understand how those interactions result in the molecular geometries predicted by VSEPR theory.

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  VSEPR Theory, Molecular Geometry, Lewis Structures, Covalent Bonding | High School

  Activity: VSEPR with Balloons Mark as Favorite (77 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will explore Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion Theory using balloon models. Since balloons tend to take up as much space as they can when tied together, they can look like models of central atoms in VSEPR theory, making a great metaphor for the model. This activity is an extension of the activity, Shapes of Molecules found on the AACT website.

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  Ionic Bonding, Naming Compounds, Molecular Formula, Ions, Ionic Radius, Solubility, Melting Point, Physical Properties | High School

  Activity: Ionic Bonding Brackets Mark as Favorite (86 Favorites)

  In this lesson, students will demonstrate their knowledge of ionic bond strength and its relationship to the properties of melting point and solubility using a “brackets” activity. After analyzing the ionic charge and radius to predict the strongest and weakest bond between four pairs of ionic substances, they will then determine which will be the least soluble.

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  Covalent Bonding, Lewis Structures, VSEPR Theory, Electronegativity, Polarity | High School

  Activity: Properties of Common Molecular Substances Mark as Favorite (69 Favorites)

  In this activity, students will apply their knowledge of molecular polarity, shape, and intermolecular forces to explain the differences in properties between different covalent substances.